The next morning, at the Imperial Capital train station.
Stepping out of the train carriage, Bai Zhizhan was greeted by the piercing cold wind, causing him to shiver uncontrollably and quickly tighten his fur coat around him.
Fortunately, He Pengfei didn't delay too much and had already followed out, carrying the luggage.
Afterward, the two left the platform.
He Pengfei was originally from the Imperial Capital, but he had moved to Puzhou with his parents when he was young before returning to the Imperial Capital for a few years of university. Even though he hadn't come back for several years, his knowledge of the city was clearly superior to Bai Zhizhan, who had never been to the Imperial Capital before.
In fact, in many ways, He Pengfei knew much more than Bai Zhizhan did.
When it came to it, this was the advantage of being a scion of a generational family.
Although not all scions are talented, and most are considered prodigal sons, growing up in the large family environment, they are used to grand scenes and thus have broader horizons, so as long as their values are fine and their intellect and physique are sound, the scions' abilities are generally not too bad.
On the way here, He Pengfei had disclosed a lot of "insider" information to Bai Zhizhan.
First was Liu Xiangdong.
That's right, he was a descendant of Liu Zhentang, one of the Eight Pillars and a Duke of Sea Kun. Within the Navy of the Empire, the Liu Family wielded the same esteemed status as the He Family.
Strictly speaking, only the Liu and He families met the standard of "generational families" within the Imperial Navy.
The Liu Family's influence was mainly within the strategy and operations branch.
Marshal Zhou Kuande's wife was a Miss Liu, the eldest daughter of the family patriarch at the time. It was with the Liu Family's full support that he secured the position of Navy Commander.
Fortunately, the Liu Family had a relationship with the He Family that was more cooperative than competitive.
The He Family's influence was mainly in the area of equipment construction, also known as the production and procurement branch.
Next was Gui Boyong.
He was also considered one of the He Family's own, being a cousin to He Yongxing, as his mother was He Yongxing's younger aunt and he was raised in the He Yongxing household.
Naturally, Gui Boyong was the person He Yongxing trusted most.
Gui Boyong and Liu Xiangdong were indeed classmates and shared an exceptionally close relationship. Even if not as close as to wear the same pair of trousers, their bond could still be considered as deep as sea.
Actually, this was also a reflection of the relationship between the He and Liu families.
For decades, the He and Liu families had supported each other, with the former dominating the production and procurement branch and the latter controlling the strategy and operations branch. They supported and depended on each other. It was with the push from these two generational families that the Imperial Navy had swept the Four Seas and defeated nearly all opponents over the past few decades.
He Yongxing was an exception.
Although the He Family also produced many generals, there was never one like He Yongxing, capable of commanding a fleet to engage battles across the Four Seas.
And importantly, over the past two years, He Yongxing had led the 21st Sub-fleet to many victories.
By contrast, the current Liu Family was experiencing a dearth of talent.
In this generation, the Liu Family even needed an in-law like Zhou Kuande to uphold the family's prestige. Among the younger generation, talented individuals like Liu Xiangdong were still too green.
In He Pengfei's words, once He Yongxing took command, the He Family was certain to surpass the Liu Family.
As for the benefits of surpassing the Liu Family, He Pengfei didn't elaborate.
Soon, the two arrived outside the train station.
Unlike the Puzhou station, there weren't as many people in the plaza outside the Imperial Capital station, and numerous uniformed military police were maintaining order.
A few military vehicles were parked outside the station exit.
Seeing clearly who was getting out of a car, Bai Zhizhan immediately quickened his pace and ran towards him.
It was He Yongxing!
"Uncle." He Pengfei ran even faster, quickly overtaking Bai Zhizhan.
Uncle?
Bai Zhizhan felt he must have heard wrong because He Pengfei and He Yongxing were cousins; such an intimate term of address should not be used under normal circumstances.
He Yongxing merely nodded, and He Pengfei tactfully took a seat in the car behind.
"How was your journey here?"
"Not bad, thank you for your concern, Commander He."
He Yongxing did not ramble on. After all, it was early morning, and there had been heavy snowfall the night before. The outdoor temperature was still below minus ten degrees Celsius.
At that moment, Bai Zhizhan noticed that Gui Boyong had not come along.
"I will take you to the headquarters' guest house first. There's an important meeting tonight." Once Bai Zhizhan got into the car, He Yongxing handed him a file folder. "Take some time to read through it; we'll need it tonight. There's no need to be nervous. Just present your thoughts when the time comes, and stay on topic."
"Commander He, this..."
"After lunch, I will send someone to pick you up to meet the Principal."
"The Principal!?"
Although he couldn't follow He Yongxing's train of thought, Bai Zhizhan knew who "the Principal" referred to. In the Empire Navy, only one person could be addressed as such.
That's right, it was Zhu Shijian, the Admiral and Principal of the Imperial Naval Academy.
To this day, Zhu Shijian had been working at the Imperial Naval Academy for over thirty years, having served as Principal for twenty-four of them. He was the longest-serving Principal in the history of the Imperial Naval Academy, revered as a mentor by many, with exceedingly high prestige.
In the current Navy of the Empire, almost all officers below the rank of Admiral had been Zhu Shijian's students.
Additionally, senior generals like He Yongxing, who had been promoted during the late stages of the war, were also his students.
"By the time of our meeting this afternoon, you should be addressing the Principal as the Commander-in-chief."
"Commander-in-chief..."
He Yongxing nodded to confirm Bai Zhizhan had heard correctly. "Yesterday, Marshal Zhou Kuande retired. The Privy Council has approved the Grand Secretary's nomination, appointing Zhu Shijian as the acting Navy Commander and promoting him to the rank of Naval Admiral. After the war is over, his continuation or resignation will be decided. The news has not yet been released, but under the current circumstances, having the Principal take the command in this crisis seems to be the most ideal and suitable arrangement."
Now Bai Zhizhan understood what was going on.
More than twenty years ago, Zhu Shijian had not become a Sub-fleet Commander; instead, he stayed at the Naval Academy to serve as the Principal, largely due to his civilian background.
At the time, Zhu Shijian was one of the few high-ranking officers with a civilian background!
Moreover, Zhu Shijian, a passionate and sincere man, made a choice that seemed very romantic to women but quite irrational to men.
He had rejected the daughter of the Liu Family and married his childhood sweetheart, a civilian woman.
It was because Zhou Kuande had made the exact opposite decision that he had smoothly climbed the ranks.
Now, with Zhou Kuande's retirement, in reality, it was a resignation in admission of guilt. If a general closely related to the He Family were to take his place, undoubtedly, it would complicate matters further.
On the Liu Family's side, those with capabilities lacked experience, those with experience lacked prestige, and those with prestige lacked ability.
Choosing Zhu Shijian for the position would bypass such problems.
Of course, for the He Family, it was an arrangement they could accept. Quite simply, Zhu Shijian, no matter what, was not going to be biased towards the Liu Family.
Thinking of all this, Bai Zhizhan internally sighed.
Clearly, the struggle between the two powerful families, which had been at peace for decades, had begun—and the cause was this war, or more precisely, the defeat.
If they had won, everything would be fine, but losing meant someone had to take the fall.
It was evident that at this moment, the Navy of the Empire was like the early morning in the Imperial Capital—a storm was forming amidst the biting Cold Wind. As for young officers from humble backgrounds like Bai Zhizhan, they definitely could not withstand the ravaging Storm. Without finding a safe harbor in time, they would inevitably be buried by the blizzard.